Avocado Chicken Salad
Published June 24, 2022 • Updated June 10, 2026
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I make this chicken and avocado salad at least twice a week, and it’s the meal that keeps me from grabbing something I shouldn’t when my schedule gets chaotic. It comes together in about 10 minutes if you have leftover chicken ready to go, which I almost always do. It’s the same idea as my one minute pizza bowl or my grilled cheese sandwich: keep the prep minimal so staying keto isn’t a battle.
What makes this more than just chicken on lettuce is the combination of textures. Creamy avocado, firm hard boiled eggs, juicy tomato wedges, and crisp romaine all in one bowl. I toss on a sherry herb vinaigrette instead of mayo because I like the brightness of it, and honestly it just tastes cleaner. No heavy dressing weighing everything down.
The macros are what sold me on making this a regular rotation meal. 26 grams of protein per serving from the chicken and eggs combined, plus the healthy monounsaturated fat from the avocado keeps me satisfied for hours. Avocado also brings fiber and potassium, which I notice makes a real difference on keto when electrolytes can run low.
I usually use Instant Pot shredded chicken that I batch cook on Sundays, but a rotisserie chicken from the deli works just as well. I’ve also used leftover grilled chicken thighs, which add a little more flavor. If you like chicken salads, try my broccoli chicken salad, grilled chicken caesar salad, or Thai chicken salad for more variety in your weekly lineup.
I serve this as a low carb lunch most of the time, but it’s substantial enough for dinner too. Sometimes I’ll skip the plate entirely and wrap everything in butter lettuce cups, or stuff it into halved avocados for a different presentation. Either way, this is the kind of simple meal that I come back to because it actually tastes like something I want to eat, not something I’m forcing down because it fits my macros.
How to make avocado chicken salad
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Ingredients
1 pound cooked chicken -
2 hearts romaine lettuce, chopped
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1 medium avocado, sliced
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1 medium tomato, diced
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4 hard boiled eggs, quartered
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1/4 cup olive oil
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1/4 cup sherry vinegar
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1-2 teaspoons Bragg's Sprinkle Herbs or Italian seasoning
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salt & pepper to taste
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Chop and prep ingredients
Chop and slice all of your ingredients as stated above.
Assemble salad
In a large platter or serving bowl, lay down a bed of lettuce. Top with chopped chicken, diced tomatoes, sliced avocado and hard boiled eggs.
Make salad dressing
In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, herbs, salt and pepper. Drizzle over salad.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add mayo to this avocado chicken salad?
I skip mayo because the avocado gives you that same creamy richness without it. But I've tested a version with a tablespoon of mayo mixed in, and it works if that's what you prefer. I just find the sherry vinaigrette keeps the whole salad lighter and lets the avocado flavor come through more.
What's the best way to prevent the avocado from turning brown?
I squeeze fresh lemon or lime juice over the avocado slices right after cutting. That buys me about 4-5 hours before any browning starts. For meal prep, I leave the avocado whole and slice it fresh when I'm ready to eat. I've tried the "pit in the bowl" trick and storing with onion, and honestly the citrus juice works best.
Can I use canned chicken instead of fresh?
I've used canned chicken in a pinch and it's fine. I drain it well and break it up with a fork. The texture is softer than shredded breast, so it blends into the salad differently. My preference is still leftover Instant Pot chicken or rotisserie from the deli, but canned works for a fast version.
How do I cook the chicken for this salad?
I batch cook chicken breasts in my Instant Pot every Sunday, which gives me shredded chicken ready for the whole week. But I've also used pan-seared thighs (sliced thin), air fryer chicken, and rotisserie. Thighs give you more flavor and a bit more fat. For the easiest option, just grab a rotisserie chicken from the store and shred it.
What is in Wendy's Southwest Avocado Salad?
I looked this up because a reader asked me to compare. Wendy's version has chopped lettuce, grilled chicken breast, guacamole, diced tomatoes, bacon, shredded pepper Jack cheese, and a southwest ranch dressing. My version skips the cheese and ranch, which cuts the carbs significantly, and I use a lighter vinaigrette instead.
How many calories are in an avocado?
One medium Hass avocado has about 360 calories, which sounds like a lot until you realize most of that is from healthy monounsaturated fat. I split one avocado across 4 servings in this salad, so you're getting roughly 90 calories of avocado per plate. That's the kind of fat I prioritize on keto because it keeps me full for hours.
Can I freeze this chicken salad?
I wouldn't freeze the assembled salad. The lettuce and avocado turn to mush once thawed. What I do freeze is the cooked chicken in portions, then build fresh salads as I need them. The chicken thaws in the fridge overnight or in a bowl of cold water in about 30 minutes.
How long does this last in the fridge?
I've kept the undressed components in the fridge for up to 3 days with no issues. The key is keeping the vinaigrette separate until you're ready to eat. Once dressed, I'd eat it within an hour or two before the lettuce starts wilting. The chicken and eggs on their own hold up to 4 days refrigerated.
Pat the romaine dry first, dressing actually clings.
Pro tip: dress everything except the avocado and it keeps all week.
Good tip. Everything else gets better after a day in the fridge, the sherry vinegar pulls into the chicken and eggs and it's just richer. Avocado's the only piece I cut fresh. Romaine holds longer dressed than most people expect, especially if you went heavier on the oil. I do the same thing Sunday nights.
Hosted a few coworkers for lunch last month and put this out alongside a couple other things. Three people asked about the dressing before they'd finished their first helping, which is not usually what I get from a salad. The sherry vinegar with that herb blend makes it taste more put-together than a two-minute vinaigrette should. Already on the calendar.
Three people asking about the dressing before they've finished their plate is a good sign. Sherry vinegar does that, people can't quite place why it tastes more interesting than it should.
I gave up on lunch pretty early into keto. Just whatever was fast. This broke that open, avocado and egg together do something I keep coming back to, and it's actually filling in a way that caught me off guard. Made it three days in a row before I noticed. 2.3 net carbs.
Three days in a row without realizing says everything. Avocado fat plus egg protein together does something for actual hunger that's hard to replicate that low.
Made this for lunch yesterday when it was too hot to even think about turning the oven on, and my son (who treats anything labeled 'salad' as a personal attack) cleaned his plate and asked if we had the stuff to make it again. I think the hard boiled eggs and shredded chicken make it feel like a real meal to him rather than just a salad.
A salad-hater asking for seconds is the best outcome. The eggs are what make it feel like food.
Made this on a hot Sunday when the last thing I wanted was to turn on the stove. My daughter, who normally picks around the avocado in everything, ate her whole bowl and asked if we could have it again before the week was out.
Avocado avoiders converting is the best. The sliced format probably helps, it kind of blends into everything once dressed vs. sitting there as a big chunk.
I've been doing Sunday meal prep lately, trying to actually have something good ready for weekday lunches. This one caught my eye because it's so fast. Main question: the avocado. Does it need to be sliced fresh each day, or is there a way to keep it from browning if I assemble everything the night before? I was planning to prep the chicken, eggs, and dressing ahead and keep them separate. But I don't want brown avocado by Wednesday. Also wondering how the romaine holds up with dressing on it overnight. Soggy lettuce on Monday morning is not the goal.
Slice the avocado fresh. Lemon or lime juice gives you maybe 4-5 hours before it browns, not overnight. The romaine is the same story, it goes limp if dressed more than an hour or two ahead. What I'd do: prep the chicken, eggs, and dressing Sunday, keep them all separate, and just slice the avocado and dress right before you eat. Two minutes on a Monday morning.
Added crumbled bacon on top because I had some leftover from breakfast, and it ended up being the best part. The saltiness against the avocado and that vinaigrette is a combination I'm not getting over. Making it again this week with the bacon built in from the start.
Bacon was my first thought when I developed this vinaigrette. That sherry vinegar has enough brightness to stand up to something salty and fatty, which most dressings don't. Never made it into the official recipe because I was trying to keep the ingredient list tight, but clearly that was a mistake. Cook it really crispy if you're building it in from the start. Soft bacon against avocado is just mush, you need the crunch to make the contrast work.
The sherry vinegar dressing is what gets me every single time. Made this probably six times now and it's still the only lunch I actually look forward to on a Monday.
Six times in and it's your Monday thing now. I make this most weeks too, usually with whatever chicken I batch-cooked on Sunday.
Sherry vinegar sounded weird to me so I almost just used regular red wine vinegar instead. Glad I didn't. There's this slightly nutty brightness to it that cuts through the avocado in a way I wasn't expecting, and with the hard boiled eggs it all just works. Made it three times in the last two weeks, which is not normal for me with salads.
Three times in two weeks for a salad is a lot. The sherry against the egg yolks is the part people don't expect - same fat-cutting thing as with the avocado.
Most keto chicken salads taste the same to me, but the sherry vinaigrette here actually sets this one apart. That brightness against the avocado is unlike any version I've had. I'd add more hard boiled eggs, but that's an easy fix.
Yeah, the vinegar-to-avocado thing is specific to sherry. More eggs is easy - I've done 6.
My daughter ate every avocado slice before she even got to the chicken, then asked when I'm making the 'green salad' again.
She's not wrong. The avocado slices are the best part. 'Green salad' works.
Used rotisserie chicken and this was on the table in five minutes flat. The sherry vinegar dressing is what I keep coming back to, sharper than regular red wine vinegar and it cuts right through the avocado.
Yeah, red wine vinegar kind of disappears against avocado. Sherry holds up.
I've been skeptical of salads as actual lunch because I'm always hungry again an hour later, but the eggs and avocado together kept me full through the afternoon. First time I've made a vinaigrette from scratch too (the sherry vinegar was the part I almost skipped), and it took maybe five minutes. This is going into the weekly lunch rotation.
The sherry vinegar is always the one people almost skip. Glad you didn't. And yeah, 25g protein plus avocado fat is exactly why it holds through the afternoon. Different category than a lettuce-forward salad.
Never used sherry vinegar before and almost swapped it for red wine vinegar, but decided to just follow the recipe. That brightness cuts through the avocado in a way I didn't expect. Might add red onion next time, but solid for a first attempt.
Red onion is a good call. Slice it thin and let it sit in the sherry vinegar for a couple minutes first. Takes the sharp edge off.